Just a couple of weeks ago, British Airways flight was forced to return to Heathrow after suffering suspected engine failure with an onlooker reporting flames coming from an engine after a reported bird strike.

The Boeing 777 turned back minutes after taking off from the West London airport.

Japan Airlines plane bound for New York in emergency landing at Tokyo airport after bird strike during take-off

The day before that a packed Japan Airlines plane bound for New York narrowly avoided disaster this morning after hitting a bird shortly after take-off.

Shocking images showed the left engine engulfed in flames as the plane left the runway.

Statistics for UK bid strikes are unavailable.

But in the US alone there have been 24 deaths between 1990 and 2013, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

During that same period there were 279 recorded injuries.

Emergency landing in Sydney as fuel pours from aircraft hit by bird

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